UAE’s exit from OPEC puts South Korea between two key Gulf partners



Analysis UAE’s exit from OPEC puts South Korea between two key Gulf partners Energy supply disruption raises stakes in managing ties with Abu Dhabi and Riyadh without alienating either John LeeMay 4, 2026 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON ROK President Lee Jae Myung, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia with digital maps of the Strait of Hormuz in the background \| Image: Blue House, Mohamed bin Zayed via Twitter, Palácio do Planalto via Flickr, Royal Navy, edited by Korea Pro The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on April 28 that it will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+, ending more than five decades of participation in coordinated oil production policy. The decision comes as war-related disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are already constraining oil flows, limiting the ability of producers to stabilize markets through coordinated supply adjustments. With coordination less effective under current conditions, South Korea’s access to energy will depend more on its bilateral relationships, increasing the risk that managing ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia cannot be done independently. South Korea © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 02Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 03North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 04South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 05AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 06South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 07Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement 08Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility

Analysis

UAE’s exit from OPEC puts South Korea between two key Gulf partners

Energy supply disruption raises stakes in managing ties with Abu Dhabi and Riyadh without alienating either

John LeeMay 4, 2026

UAE’s exit from OPEC puts South Korea between two key Gulf partners

ROK President Lee Jae Myung, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia with digital maps of the Strait of Hormuz in the background | Image: Blue House, Mohamed bin Zayed via Twitter, Palácio do Planalto via Flickr, Royal Navy, edited by Korea Pro

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on April 28 that it will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+, ending more than five decades of participation in coordinated oil production policy.

The decision comes as war-related disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are already constraining oil flows, limiting the ability of producers to stabilize markets through coordinated supply adjustments.

With coordination less effective under current conditions, South Korea’s access to energy will depend more on its bilateral relationships, increasing the risk that managing ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia cannot be done independently.

South Korea

UAE’s exit from OPEC puts South Korea between two key Gulf partners

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John Lee